The present invention relates to an electronic puzzle game. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic word puzzle game where a player attempts to find words from a list within a puzzle grid before a set amount of time elapses and the puzzle grid is rearranged.
Traditional printed word-search puzzle games are known and are commonly provided in the Sunday newspaper and puzzle books, for example. In these printed word-search games, the player is provided with a list of words which are to be found in a puzzle grid containing letters. The words in the puzzle grid are arranged randomly and are typically arranged forwards, backward, up, down and/or diagonally.
An electronic version of a universal word search game can be found at UCLICK.COM. This is a Java-based puzzle that challenges a player to find hidden words. There are two versions to this electronic game, a Regular version and a Master version.
The Regular game displays a grid of letters on the player""s display device. The game also provides a list of the words the player needs to find in the scramble of letters contained in the puzzle grid. The words may be spelled forward, backwards, up, down or diagonally. To select a word in the grid, the player clicks and holds the mouse on the first letter and drags the cursor across the screen to the end of the word. If the word is one in the list, a red circle remains around the successfully-discovered word. A line appears through the discovered word in the list of words.
In the Master version, the list of words is not displayed to the player and only the number of words and the theme of the puzzle are given as clues to the words to be discovered within the puzzle. As with the Regular version, a red circle remains around successfully-discovered words.
In both versions, if the player gets stumped, they can click on the xe2x80x9cSolve Puzzlexe2x80x9d to have the computer find and circle the remaining undiscovered words. When the puzzle is completed by finding all of the words, the time the player took to solve the puzzle is displayed, along with how many words the player discovered on their own. Further, there is a xe2x80x9cScramblexe2x80x9d button, which, if clicked on by the player, simply re-generates the puzzle without retaining the successfully-discovered words.
Although this prior art electronic puzzle provides a challenge for the players, it simply provides the same functions and challenges as the printed version word search puzzle. Accordingly, this electronic puzzle version of the traditional word search game has failed to provide a game which is different from that of the traditional versions previously provided in the Sunday newspaper and puzzle books.
The present invention provides an electronic puzzle and rearranges that same puzzle after a certain amount of time has elapsed and the player has not performed a specific action required by the game. The interactive puzzle game comprises a player interface module, a player monitoring module connected to the player interface module and operable to detect actions of the player, a puzzle generation module that generates an electronic word-search puzzle, a clock module that sets a specific amount of time and a display module connected to the player interface module and operable to display the electronic puzzle and clock to the player. If the player does not perform a specific action required by the game within an allotted amount of time as measured by the clock module, the puzzle generation module rearranges the electronic puzzle and the display module displays the rearranged electronic puzzle to the player for continued play. When the puzzle is rearranged, the amount of time is reset, the clock is restarted and the process of rearranging the puzzle is repeated until the puzzle is solved or the player ends the game.
In the preferred embodiment, the electronic puzzle is in the form of a puzzle grid and is generated by (a) generating a list of puzzle words; (b) randomly selecting a word from the list of puzzle words; (c) randomly placing the word in the puzzle grid; (d) selecting a subsequent word from the list of puzzle words; (e) determining if any of the letters in the subsequent word overlap any of the letters in any word within the puzzle grid; (f) placing the subsequent word in the puzzle grid if the letters of the subsequent word overlap any of the letters in any word within the puzzle grid; and (g) skipping the subsequent word if the subsequent word does not overlap any word within the puzzle grid. Steps (d) through (g) are preferably repeated until all words in the list of puzzle words are placed in the puzzle grid.
Also in the preferred embodiment, the electronic puzzle is rearranged by repeating steps (b) through (g) that were used to generate the electronic puzzle until all words are placed in the puzzle grid.
The implementation of an electronic word search puzzle which spontaneously rearranges itself upon the reaching of a time limit provides an increased level of challenge which is not achieved by previous word search puzzles.